Fireplace Mantel by Brian

I started a fireplace inspired by your FIREPLACE-103. I substituted 3 coves for your crowns, the top will be a beaded cove to dress the hood up a little. I thought about swapping your glass bead for a small cove in the panels but I couldn’t find one with the right proportions. Other than that, it’s made mostly from scraps. I’ll have about $130 in all. I’ll email you pictures when it’s finished and painted.

I sprayed SW wall & wood with a Graco handheld sprayer before assembly which I can’t recommend, it spurts paint, nothing at all like my big Graco sprayer, best to stick with a brush. Now I have some serious sanding to do.

-Brian from Grand Rapids

Brian from Grand Rapids, Michigan sent me these beautiful pictures of the FIREPLACE MANTEL-103 he built. Absolute perfection, Brian!

I go to Grand Rapids every year to attend Art Prize, and I go just as much for the fine historic architecture of that beautiful city as I go for the art. I’m happy to see that Brian has carried on the tradition of fine craftsmanship in a city historically known for it’s high-end furniture making.

About author

There's a reason why our classical architectural traditions have lasted as long as they have--they anchor us to our past in a world where change seems to come by the hour. Properly designed and installed moldings give your home a visual foundation for that tradition, and that's why I've been writing about them since 2002. Your home should be a place of refuge, a place to recharge, a place to reorient yourself from the chaos outside. Moldings with meaning are one part of that.